PM Modi meeting with El-Sisi 'grand display of democracy, pluralism:' Johnnie Moore

Washington DC [US], June 26 : Johnnie Moore, Former Commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom on Monday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to Egypt saying that the "values of democracy and the values of pluralism were on grand display" as the two leaders met, giving away a message of "bright future".

"As the prime minister of the most populated Hindu country in the world sat down with the president of the most important Arab country, the message is loud and clear, and that is that there is a bright future," said Moore in an exclusiveinterview.

During his Cairo visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with 'Order of the Nile' award, Egypt's highest state honour, by the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This is the 13th such highest state honour that various countries across the world have conferred upon PM Modi and is a moment of pride for India.

"It was a powerful image, which is very important to the president of Egypt, as well as, the leader of the most populated Hindu country in the world, receiving the type of honour that he received in the largest Islamic country in the world," said Moore praising PM Modi's accomplishments.

PM Modi paid a visit to Al-Hakim 11th-century mosque and even interacted with the Bohra community in Egypt, which according to Moore sends a "loud and clear" message that despite the political forces wanting to divide communities, there's something more powerful than politics and division and that is values.

"Egypt is a very significant Arab Islamic country in all of Islamic history. I mean, so the message was loud and clear. The Egyptian president was saying that the Hindu community should feel welcome in Egypt. There are many, many forces, largely political forces all around the world that want to divide religions and want to divide communities and divide languages," he added.

In theinterview, Moore also spoke on democracy in India saying that there's a lot that US can learn from India.

He said, "message from the trip the prime minister made from India to the United States and directly to Egypt, is that there's something more powerful than politics and division and that is values."

Moore noted that India, a democracy with pristine constitution, in spite of being so diverse, having over 2,000 political parties, several languages is an "incredibly pluralistic country".

"When you look at that, from the outside, you may say, that's a complicated system. It is a complicated system. You have hundreds and hundreds of languages in single states and so I think the impression that was left here in the United States and the impression that Indians know themselves is that India is a democracy with a pristine constitution. It is an incredibly pluralistic country. It's a country that fights for its democracy at every single election," said Moore.

Notably, PM Modi has successfully finished his two-nation tour and has returned to India on Monday. It was his maiden State visit both to the United States and Egypt.

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